A Press Democrat Blog

Saving time and resources

A Great Way To Get Rid Of Unwanted Goods And Get Gifts! LITE Initiatives, in cooperation with Sebastopol Grange #306 and Transition Sebastopol presents the 2nd annual Holiday GiftAway and Clothing Swap this Sunday, November 24, from 1-3pm at the Sebastopol Grange, 6000 Sebastopol Rd., one half mile east of Morris St on Hwy 12. Swaps are a fun, ecological way to get GIFTS and new-to-you goods while giving away unwanted items! Men, Women and Children’s clean and working reusables and household… Read More »

In honor of office holiday parties, tomorrow, the Thursday before Christmas, is National Regifting Day. Money Management International (MMI) suggests that you turn your gift exchange into a regifting party. “In case you are hesitant to break tradition, you can rest assured that the majority (60%) of people think that regifting is becoming more accepted; the top two reasons are to save some green.”… Read More »

“Shareable is a nonprofit online magazine that tells the story of sharing. We cover the people, places, and projects bringing a shareable world to life. And we share how-tos so you can make a shareable world real in your life. In a shareable world, solutions like clothing swaps, childcare coops, potlucks, carsharing, community gardens, and cohousing can make your life more fun, green, and affordable. When we share, not only is a better life possible, but so is a better world. The remarkable successes of Zipcar, Wikipedia, Kiva, open source software, Freecycle, and Creative Commons show this. They tell a hopeful story about human nature and our future, one we don’t hear enough in the mainstream media.… Read More »

A fashion and beauty web site, Styleite is dedicated to giving readers the latest and greatest in fashion and beauty news, insight and commentary. Recent topics range from The Return of Classic American Style, Sudanese Models Arrested After Sharing A Mixed Runway and Leather Shorts: The Be All, End All Of Seasonal Dressing? But this is the post that caught my associate’s attention or perhaps a fashion savvy friend of his: NYC To Pioneer Clothing Recycling Come September: “There are two things an NYC resident… Read More »

As the season changes, please consider taking a few hours to clean your drawers and closets. As you sort and organize summer and winter belongings, pull out unwanted items: clothing that doesn’t fit, accessories that no longer suit your lifestyle, sale items that did not work out… Be sure to include those unused but well meaning gifts – such as books you don’t want to read or holiday sweatshirts embellished with merry pigs. (Sorry, Mom!) Give these items to friends, neighbors… Read More »

About This Blog

This blog is about all things green – philosophies, strategies, practices and events. Topics run the gauntlet with particular emphasis on personal choice, time management and local angles. Everyone is welcome to respond and propose new threads, especially newbies, hardcore greenies and naysayers – provided they mind their manners.

About The Blogger

Portia Sinnott, aka the Green Mentor, writes on eco-initiatives and all things green. She is Co-Founder and Executive Director of LITE Initiatives, a Sonoma County non-profit that promotes a wide variety of practical skills needed to live more in tune with the environment. Founded as Car-Lite in 2000, LITE’s most prominent program is Community Bikes, the bike repair collaborative on west Sebastopol Road in Santa Rosa. Other programs are Car-Lite, Zero Waste Sonoma County, Eat-Lite and Living Green. Recent projects include the 2014 Waste Less Food Series plus twenty-two years of clothing swap promotions and production.

Self-employed for more then 32 years, Portia runs an environmental consultancy committed to the principles of sustainability. Recent projects include three collaborative Zero Waste web content development projects for the USEPA. She co-authored a 2010 UN Habitat Program book,”Solid Waste In The World Cities“, writes articles on Reuse and Repair and other relevant topics for national publication and serves as the editor of the Northern California Recycling Association.